Kenneth Stiles was born in London and experienced his first serious music making with the choir of Tiffin School where he
came under the influence of Bruce Pullan, appearing in several concerts in the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's south bank
and touring Switzerland. With this choir he also sang, as a treble, on a recording of Purcell's 'Ode on St. Cecilia's Day'of
1692 for the German company Archiv.
Following on from those early experiences he was a Choral Scholar at Durham Cathedral before singing in Leeds Parish Church
as a Lay Clerk for three years. Whilst based in Leeds, he sang as a soloist with many local choirs and choral societies and
was an early member of the St. Peter's Singers of Leeds, conducted, to this day, by Simon Lindley, Leeds City Organist.
In 1981, he moved to Canterbury Cathedral where he spent seventeen musically profitable years. During this time he sang in
many recordings and broadcasts with the choir, including the visit of Pope John Paul II to Canterbury in 1982. He toured widely
with the choir, often as a soloist within their concerts. The Netherlands, Belgium, France and the former German Democratic
Republic were visited as well as two highly successful tours of the United States and Canada.
His time in Kent saw hm appear as a soloist in a variety of locations.Canterbury, Rochester,St Albans, Washington DC, Denver
and San Francisco Cathedrals have all seen him in both solo and choral guises, as has the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone where
he appeared many times with Folkestone Choral Society, with whom he still maintains a close, and welcome connection. Other
choirs who have used him as a soloist include,The Canterbury Singers, Gravesham Choral Society, The Medici Singers and Leeds
College of Music.
He left Canterbury in 1998 following a mutual desire with his wife Deborah to return to her home county of Yorkshire and,
in Ken's case, to be nearer Headingley! He sings occasionally with Leeds Parish Church and Ripon Cathedral and has recently
performed the B Minor Mass of J.S. Bach with the St Peter's Singers in Leeds. This was followed rapidly by a performance of
'Samson' by Handel for Leeds College of Music.
Essentially a lover of Baroque music, he is not limited to that genre and is open to any requests within vocal reason.
He has studied with Jeremy Jackman, Ashley Stafford and Andrew Watts and holds an ARCM performers diploma in singing.
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